Removing software features, feature clutter, and what to do about it

The other day, Google Reader did some spring cleaning.   They removed a couple features, added some new ones, and generally did things that make me happy.    However, they admit that it's not going to make everyone happy, and linked to a couple articles on the subject.   One such article is the Adobe one referenced to in this blog.

Now, first off, it DOES hurt to lose features.   It is NICE to know that when you rely on a feature, it might stick around for a while, and when it doesn't, it hurts.   But in my life, there has never been a time where it hurt me in the long run.   I have had friends who stuck with older versions of Firefox to keep particular features, but even they have all now upgraded.   I guess the biggest victims are those who use websites (Facebook has had this problem on several occasions), and iPhone apps, where you don't have the OPTION to switch back to an older version.   For them, there may not be a true alternitive, but this blog intends to give some options.

Feature clutter is a big problem.   I use some VERY high end products in my career, namely ArcGIS and AutoCAD Map 3D, which have more features than any one person will ever use in their entire career.   In fact, my GIS teacher said once that every task you will ever do can be done equally well with no less than 3 different tools, and no one of those is any better than the other, you must simply know which works best for you.  AutoCAD has a similar problem.   This is the kind of thing that I would like to see removed from those apps...   However, they have a creative solution, one that Adobe does in their latest versions of Photoshop.

In that Adobe article, they describe a tool called Configurator.   I have not used Adobe's particular tool, but AutoCAD has something that matches that explanation almost to the T.   What it does, is allow you to pick and choose which tools you want displayed, and where you want them.   AutoCAD goes so far as to ask you on first-start which default settings you want to use, giving options for several past versions.   Once done, you can then mix-and-match which new features you want in your menus, toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts.   It is an extreme example of giving the users every feature that has ever existed in AutoCAD, and allowing them to make it their own.  ArcGIS isn't as customizable, giving only the option to create custom "Toolboxes" to store your most common tools, but it really is nice to have every tool that ever existed at my finger tips, just in case I need the features of one, that arn't met by another.  Both allow you to stick toolbars anywhere on the screen, either as a stand alone box, or they can snap to any of the 4 sides of the screen, or the 4 corners;  The options are endless in that regard.  Photoshop, I'm sure, lies somewhere between the two, and other examples may exist.

Now, these are EXTREMELY complex apps, used by proffessionals who know what they want and will work to get it.   They also cost a small fortune (ArcGIS will run $3-4 thousand just to get started, significantly more if you want some of the bigger extensions), so losing a feature might cost a user a lot of money.  So what about the normal, every day user apps?  

Having options on the DVD that don't install by default is nice.   Being able to customize your toolbars and menus to fit your needs is really handy.    Having a deprecated feature find it's way into the Extras folder on the DVD is probably the best option of all, then if you can track witch extras are being added, you can get a feel for what direction you need to go in for future releases.   Firefox does this with it's extensions and toolbars, and we are beginning to see it gain traction in other web browsers as well.   On the iPhone, this could be done through the "In-App purchases" feature of the app store, even as free "Purchases".  

It IS hard to remove features, but as Adobe has demonstrated, it's really not the end of the world.   In my experience, customization is the answer...   Maybe others can offer other suggestions in the comments section here ;)